


The play of light across your heart

by jesseofthenorth



Category: Shelter (2007)
Genre: M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-18
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 19:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/690385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesseofthenorth/pseuds/jesseofthenorth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach has sketch books full of them</p>
            </blockquote>





	The play of light across your heart

He never gets tired of watching them, noticing the ways they've changed the way they are both the same as ever. Zach has filled boxes of sketch pads dedicated entirely to Shaun's face and Cody's face and Shaun and Cody together. It might be a little (or even a lot) creepy but he loves to draw them when they are asleep. Shaun always looks so young the way Zach knows he looked all the years ago when he was still just Gabe's big brother. When Cody sleeps Zach can see both of their mothers in his face and hints of the man he will become.

But this. This is a particular kind of perfect, the two of them asleep on the sofa, when Zach gets home from his shift. Curled up together, quiet and so beautiful it makes his chest throb with the weight of what they mean to him.

And so, like he has very few times in the past that he has found them like this, Zach puts aside his own fatigue and pulls out a sketch book. He uses his new crayons, capturing the shades of blue from the television screen left on and forgotten while they sleep. The light from the patio casts a warm gold across Shaun’s face and Zach loses himself in marking the paper with how much they mean to him.

 

Shaun wakes sometime long after the movie is over. His neck is stiff and Cody is curled up against his shoulder burrowed warm and secure against the winter chill. The clock on the blu-ray says 1:30. Shit. He wonders for a second if Zach went to bed and let them sleep. That would be weird and completely out of character. Zach kind of has this thing about not sleeping alone. Shaun teases him about it but very gently. He totally understands the sentiment of not wanting to miss a single precious moment.

Shaun huffs and tries to slip his shoulder out from under Cody's head without waking him. He contemplates leaving the kid on the sofa to sleep but where ever Zach is Shaun is pretty sure that idea would not fly. Oh well it's not like it will be the first time he has carried Cody up to his own bed. He struggles to sit up once he is free. Foggy and tired he flails a little and laughs quietly at himself. Shaun rubs a hand over his face to wake up enough to get Cody into his bed without dropping him.

He'll go find his guy when the kid is tucked in safe and sound. He's probably in be-. Huh. Not in bed then. Zach is sound asleep in the lumpy old armchair he wont let Shaun throw out. It looks really uncomfortable and Shaun wonders why he's there. Wondering aside he takes a moment to admire the gorgeous picture he makes stuffed into that ugly old piece of crap, bent into a weird position so he'll fit.

It doesn't take long to get Cody situated and Shaun wastes no time going to retrieve his boyfriend so they can both get some comfortable rest in their ridiculously big bed. He is still puzzled why Zach didn’t wake him up or barring that at least go to bed.

No matter. He might ask him in the morning, right now he is more interested in getting his boy to bed.

“Hey. Zach.” he says quietly not wanting to startle him

“Mmmm?”

“Come babe, you can't sleep here.” Shaun brushes his cheek and Zach's eyes only open a little.

“Tired>” he mumbles as Shaun pulls him to his feet.

“I know. Come to bed” he steadies Zach and guides him toward their room.

It takes a couple of minutes to get Zach out of his jeans and socks. Shaun doesn't bother with anything else. Zach is always so tired between school and work and family and just life. He needs uninterrupted sleep a lot more than he needs pajamas.

 

Shaun is the first one up in the morning. It's the weekend. A rare weekend when no one has to be anywhere doing anything other than hanging out. Or sleeping in. So he leaves them to it and heads for the deck to drink his coffee.

On his way by that ratty old chair he spies one of Zach's books, dropped on the floor where they almost never are. Too precious to Zach to just leave lying around. He picks it up and it's then that he realizes what Zach was doing sleeping the chair.

He'd fallen asleep in the middle of a sketch.

A sketch of Shaun and Cody snuggled up together on the sofa face restful but lit so beautifully by ambient light and the loving eye of the artist. There is so much passion and life in everything Zach draws, but this, This is the love of the three of them and the life and family they are making every day put down in solid clear lines there for anyone to see who is lucky enough to get the chance.

Shaun knows he can't help but love a man who loves like this and sets it down on paper for the world to see.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the sketch/draw square on my cottoncandy-bingo card found [here](http://jesseofthenorth.livejournal.com/141716.html) or [here](http://jesseofthenorth.dreamwidth.org/120462.html)


End file.
